Bank of America Asks: Are You Brave Enough to Face Your Future?

Regularly checking their 401k balance may be enough motivation to make some people save for retirement—but others need something a bit more visceral. Face Retirement, a new Bank of America/Merrill Edge website with 500,000 users and counting, gives you a preview of what you'll look like (sun spots and all) by the time you get a timeshare in Boca Raton, and it's supposedly scaring clients who don't even need eye cream into early savings.

"People who saw age-enhanced images of themselves were more likely to save more for retirement, compared to those who weren't exposed to their future selves," Alok Prasad, the head of Merrill Edge, said in a recent interview. Considering that in this month's Allure Aging Survey, 50% of women said their biggest worry about advancing in years is feeling less attractive, this strategy makes some sense, because it forces us to visualize and think ahead. (Yes, you too will in fact grow old and will have to deal with everything—financial and facial—that comes with it.)

I'm still a spry 24, so I decided to try out the website, because how bad could it be? As it turns out, pretty bad. Seeing my jowls drop and forehead crease did make me think about proactive measures—just not the ones Bank of America intended (namely Botox, retinol, and sunscreen). I asked some of my coworkers, ranging in age, to play along, and they agreed that the image didn't scare them into being more fiscally responsible, unless you count saving up for a facelift. (Trust me, I now know I'm going to need it). We also agreed that the most disturbing age was 57. As one person put it, "I expect to look ancient when I'm 87, but 57? I looked like I belonged in a nursing home, and I really still want to be vital."

The website does have some pretty frightening tips about the cost of living. But while the prospect of working as a barista at 70 should be more terrifying than age spots, logic apparently can't compete with a gnarled crone face staring right back at you.